Stadt & Amt Dannenberg

Amt Gümse

Dannenberg castle was built in the mid-12th century and served as the seat of a county (Grafschaft) of the same name. By the end of the 13th century, Dannenberg received city rights. Grafschaft Dannenberg was absorbed into the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1303, where it became an Amt (excepting the Stadt itself, which was self-governing). When the Duchy was partitioned in 1409, Dannenberg was assigned to the Principality of Lüneburg. In 1569, the Stadt & Amt were assigned to the new nonsovereign spinoff Principality of Lüneberg-Dannenberg.

 

Amt Gümse consisted of villages owned by the von dem Berge family. Those villages were scattered throughout the territory that was otherwise in Amt Dannenberg. In 1593, the von dem Berge family was bought out and the Amt was absorbed into Amt Dannenberg, which, at the time, was part of the spin-off Principality of Lüneberg-Dannenberg. Beginning in 1636, that principality and its constituent Ämter were administered by Wolfenbüttel while remaining under the sovereignty of Lüneburg. In 1671, the principality was abolished and its constituent Ämter reverted to Lüneburg (from which I drop the -Celle because it was no longer divided).

 

Both Amt Dannenberg and Amt Gümse were subdivided into a Marschvogtei, consisting of villages relatively close to the Elbe River, and a Hausvogtei, consisting of villages on higher ground and further south of the Elbe. Nevertheless, when the Ämter were combined, the entirety of Amt Gümse was placed in the Hausvogtei of Amt Dannenberg. (Note that because the village of Gümse itself was not in the Hausvogtei, I do not follow my usual convention of using the seat of the Amt as the simplified name of the Hausvogtei.)